Stranded Without a Ghost of a Chance
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: This RGBXGB fic focuses on the guys on a "guy's vacation". Murphy's law is in effect here.


Stranded Without a Ghost of a Chance  
  
Note: This XBG/ RGB fanfic finds our male leads stranded on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. And all they wanted was a little "guy time" ! Will our heroes find a way to escape the island before going completely insane first ? We can only hope...  
  
Chapter 1—Tropical Cruise  
  
Ray was beside himself when he had received free tickets to a tropical island cruise. He didn't even consider the fact that the tickets had mysteriously presented themselves in his mailbox from an anonymous sender. The only thing he was thinking about was inviting all of his closest friends on the cruise as well. It would be a marvelous way to relax. He was ecstatic as he told his family about "vacationing with the guys". Of course RJ and Heather were happy for him as well but something didn't sit right with them when it came to the matter of the tickets. The two of them continued to warn him about the suspicious tickets, but he was lost in oblivion of bliss.  
  
All of the guys were enthusiastic when Ray told them the spectacular news about the tropical cruise, but in each of their families, they had the same problem as Ray did. "Don't you think this is a little too good to be true, dad ?", Joaquin questioned with concern in his voice. Kylie was worried as well, and nearly begged Eduardo not to go on that trip with the rest of the guys. "Nah ! No chance, son ! You two shouldn't worry so much about me ! I'll be fine ! You'll see !", Eduardo said very confidently. Not wanting to argue with his logic, the two wished him the best of everything and kissed and hugged him goodbye before he set off on his adventure.  
  
After an hour-long drive to the coast, the entire group of men unloaded from the Greyhound bus. Ray was literally jumping for joy and the others had to keep him calm. "Dude, it's not that big of a deal ! Chill !", Roland said, scoffing and rolling his eyes in embarrassment. Roland did have a valid point. Ray really was making a fool out of himself all because of a 3-week long hiatus. "This will prove much interesting. Even though I will be vacationing, I can observe different personality types as they act and interact.", Egon thought to himself, tapping the eraser of his pencil to his chin. "I don't know what's going on in that resourceful mind of yours, Egon, but shouldn't you at least take it easy for a while ? Of all of us, I believe you need this break most of all.", Peter said, patting his old chum on the back. Egon was slow to admit it, but Peter was right, as usual. And with that said, the group of men boarded the U.S.S. Americana and were on their way into the tropics.  
  
Chapter 2—Rough Waters Ahead  
  
The sun was shining, the waters were calm, and the atmosphere was soothing and cordial. The clientele on the U.S.S. Americana were nothing short of sensational. They were kind, courteous, polite, always willing and able to make the cruise as comfortable as the ship sailed listlessly on the ocean. Suddenly, big black clouds blotted out the sunlight and the rain began to fall. Egon was the first inside the Americana, sensing danger in the air, and the older men weren't far behind. Garrett wasn't too far behind Winston, but the others didn't seem phased by the light showers. In a flash, the showers turned into tumultuous rain. Hailstones began to fall and the wind began to pick up. It was so powerful that it began to rock the cruise ship. The only recourse was to go below and hope the violent storm would pass.  
  
Things went from bad to worse when the lights began to flicker. Just then the ship began to creak and rattle. The lights shattered and the employees of the Americana were shrouded in darkness. The so-called "flawless" structure of the Americana began to prove faulty. There were problems everywhere and the ship had even sprung a leak. "Where's the Captain ? I demand to speak with the Captain, and I mean right this moment !", Winston shouted over the moaning and groaning ship. "There is no one else here ! This vessel is haunted !", Egon said, shrieking when a blast of icy water hit him in the small of his back. "This is bad... This is real bad.", Eduardo said, with a look of morose on his face. "That, amigo, is an understatement.", Garrett said, sarcastically. Before Eduardo could make a witty retort, the ship declined and all of the men looked at their feet. There was standing water and it was coming in, fast. They had to find an exit quickly before the force of the sinking Americana dragged them into the briny deep. There wasn't much time, they had to act now.  
  
Chapter 3—Like Robinson Caruso, It's As Primitive As Can Be  
  
It seemed like the seven of them would never reach dry land, but the effort had all been worth it. They had all been compelled to kiss the ground when they crawled into shore but didn't really want the taste of sand in their mouths. When they looked around, the island was almost bare, except for some coconut trees, rocks and other natural elements growing there.  
  
Ray's stomach growled. It had been 3 hours since he had eaten breakfast and he was starving. Egon, ever prepared searched his pockets for helpful items that would help them all survive for as long as possible. The others were very grateful, but then they realized they should be helping each other, even if they didn't necessarily get along all the time. The two that were arguing the most, as usual were Garrett and Eduardo. They were good friends, but there were certain mannerisms Eddie had that drove Garrett up the wall and he was also becoming a little irritated. "I hope we find a way off this island, and quickly. I'm missing the sights and the sounds of the tropics !", Roland thought to himself while kicking a pebble down the beach. It was not easy for Garrett since he had lost his wheelchair, but when he decided he wanted to walk, he asked for a little help. His friends would always be there for him, right by his side when he needed them. Soon, enough kindling had been gathered for a fire and some muscles and fish had been caught for dinner. All of them ate and drank the filtered water that Egon had provided for everyone. Being exhausted from the long swim to the tropical island, they fell asleep underneath the setting sun and the appearing myriad of stars.  
  
It had only been a few days, but it was hard for the 7 of them to stay sane around each other. Out of all of them, Egon had gotten the least amount of sleep coming up with ways of contacting someone to come and look for them. He was running out of natural supplies to aid him in his quest. "We just have to face facts, guys. We're going to die on this island !", Roland said, arms akimbo. "No, we can't think like that ! We'll find a way. We have to keep the faith.", Ray said, trying to buoy the spirits of his friends. He looked at all of them imploringly, and a few of them didn't seem moved by his words of solace. He sighed and walked over to the shore-side where Egon was fiddling around with another invention. No matter what he tried, it didn't seem to be functioning. "Drat... This is really perplexing me. I don't understand why it hasn't worked. Maybe I should just build a big bonfire to attract low flying planes to this island ?", Egon surmised. Ray called the others to come and help him build Egon's bonfire. With a little bit of teamwork they built the fire and waited for signs of life from anywhere to see the signal of the high flames in the sky.  
  
Chapter 4—Where There's Smoke...  
  
The next day arrived and the 7 of them were still rugged, sand and waterlogged and smelt to high heaven of fish. It had been a long time since they had bathed, but seawater wasn't going to make them clean at all, so bathing had to wait. Almost too weak to stand, the 7 of them stood together to witness a miracle. A helicopter had spotted the waning smoke of the bonfire. "Hey, you 7 there ! Need a lift ?", the operator called, giving the thumbs up. "Boy, do we ever, man !", Eduardo said, nearly weeping. A few of the guys were already in tears they were so overjoyed. But, they all knew that they would have a lot of explaining to do to their wives (not to mention their children) when they arrived home. It wouldn't be any worse than being stuck on a deserted tropical island, and that was certain.  
  
Chapter 5—A Journey of Enlightenment  
  
Before coming home the 7 men thanked the helicopter operator and its small team profusely. They were just Marine employees going about their business, patrolling the areas that they were commanded to scan. All of the men, after saying goodbye, parted their separate ways and returned home. But, something was different. They had become closer friends and learned more about themselves on the island than in other situations, and they had been in pretty precarious circumstances in their lifetimes. This would be a lesson not easily forgotten. When it came right down to brass tax, they were like brothers and would always be there for one another.  
  
Heather was bemused at Ray's story. At first she found it a little difficult to believe, but the torn clothes and the putrid stench were enough to convince her that she and RJ had been right about the mysterious tickets all along. But, being right at the time wasn't relevant. The only thing that mattered was getting Ray fed and cleansed before the long weekend ahead.  
  
Epilogue  
  
When the weekend came, each of the 7 men spent time together with their families. Oddly enough, none of them had endured any loud "I told you so-s" from their spouses or children. It was just another sunny day in New York City, with the fire hydrants gushing streams of water into the streets. The children and even some adults frolicked in the cool streams while the summer sun simmered in the horizon. Hot dog vendors were here and there, ice cream trucks stopped to give excited children the latest selection of popsicles. Even the elderly were out enjoying the splendor of the dandy weather. The remainder of the day was spent reveling in the glory of the day, taking the time to picnic and playing a friendly game of baseball in the park. As the sun began to set in the horizon, each of the men took a look at all of the blessings that surrounded them. Everything had taken upon a new meaning. The tiny, simplistic pleasures of just living were capitalized as the day wound to its ending. Never again would they take warnings for granted, or the love they shared with their families and the brotherhood they possessed as friends.  
  
The End  
  
By: Elizabeth Berndt June 13, 2003 


End file.
